Proper eating conduct as a pathway to disease prevention: A systematic review

Abstract

In today’s productivity-obsessed, fast-paced environment, where everyone is consumed with achieving success, maintaining a balanced diet often gets overlooked, resulting in various lifestyle-related health issues. Different factors might affect one’s health and susceptibility to the disease. A traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda gives a deep, comprehensive insight into health and food based on certain unique conceptual and theoretical positions. Beyond the ingestion of food, the concept of diet in Ayurveda has a broader view. It suggests approaches for consuming food, considering its quality and quantity based on an individual’s digestive capacity. If the rules for having the food are properly followed, it helps maintain health and enhance life span. While consuming food, time, place, quantity, quality & manner are also necessary. When food is consumed correctly, it supports the body’s proper growth; however, improper consumption can lead to various health issues. So, according to Ayurveda, the concept of the rules to have food is one of the most beneficial for reducing the disorders in the noble goal of maintaining health. Unhealthy food habits, such as overeating, consuming a high-protein diet, excessive spice and oil, harmful food combinations, and eating without considering one’s digestive capacity, are major contributors to disease. To fully reap the benefits of food, one should adhere to the guidelines outlined in Ayurveda, which specify the what, when, where, and how of food consumption. In this article, various aspects of the rules for having food according to Ayurveda are explained.

J Bangladesh Soc Physiol 2025;20(1): 39-44